Horse Transportation Cost: Everything You Need to Know (2024)

FAQs

What is required to transport horses? ›

During transport, horses must be accompanied by a competent person. Horses must not be transported in a vehicle with more than one deck in operation. Minimum internal height must be 75 cm higher than the height of the withers of the highest animal. During long journeys, foals and young horses must be able to lie down.

The average price to move a horse around the UK ranges from £1.93 for moves less than a 100 miles, transport above 100 miles averages around £0.83 per mile. For more information, check out our page dedicated to Horse Transport Costs.

On average, however, hiring a professional equine transport company will cost between $0.75/mile and $3/mile. International transport by air for your horse will cost somewhere between $2,000 and $10,000 for a one-way flight.

Get your horse accustomed to wearing travel boots or bandages to protect his legs from damage during transit. Use an old leather headcollar for transporting your horse, and always tie the lead rope to a piece of baler twine, rather than directly to the metal tie ring.

Numerous factors can affect the cost of transporting a horse, but on average you can expect transporting your horse to cost roughly $2.55 per mile for trips less than 100 miles and $1.10 per mile for journeys over 100 miles.

On average, it costs $2.55 per mile for horse transport less than 100 miles but costs $1.10 per mile for horse transport less than 1,000 miles.

To calculate your cost per mile, simply divide your total expenses for the month by the total number of miles you have driven that month. For example, if your expenses totaled $3,000 and you drove 10,000 miles, your cost per mile is $0.30.

“They are there to work, offer good service, and receive tips, so we don't think any differently about who helps get us to the pen,” she says. Tips are a financial expense that should be included in your horse show budget; but if you find that money is tight, consider alternatives.

How often should I stop? Your horse should have a 15- to 20-minute rest period every four to six hours during a long haul when the trailer is stopped and parked, ideally in a shaded area if it's hot. During this rest period, offer water, replenish food supplies, and do a general safety check.

Horse fly: Lifespan 30-60 days

Horse flies are similar to house flies in that they have a similar lifespan. They are larger than houseflies and can grow to be the size of a bumblebee.

What airlines fly horses? ›

Fed Ex, UPS and large commercial airlines ship horses and other animals as cargo, but Tex Sutton — as the company is commonly known — began ferrying Kentucky Derby winners and other prized horses by air in 1969 and remains the only U.S.-based horse transportation company that uses a dedicated aircraft to do so.

Horses are fine for up to 9 hours in a trailer as long as they have food and water, and unloading during the trip just adds to your end time considerably. Rather, get to where you are going and let them –and you- have a long rest.

The 20% weight rule (ride and saddle) is a good starting point for considering how much weight a horse can safely carry. Generally, ponies will be able to carry a bit more than 20%. While tall horses will only be comfortable carrying a bit less.

How Do Horses Like to be Touched? Horses prefer to be rubbed and stroked over being tickled or slapped, and they often don't want rubbing on sensitive areas like the flank, girth, belly, nose, ears, and legs.

“Research in both the UK and America has proven that horses that face away from the direction of travel arrive at their destination more relaxed and less stressed that those that travel forwards,” she says.

Horses are regularly shipped by ship, airplane and train. Most often, however, they are transported by trailers attached to vehicles. Shipping and transporting are often used interchangeably, but there is a major difference, especially to your horse.

A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis.

When the horse charges, you must always take immediate defensive action; that is one reason why you always go into the round pen with a 'weapon' of some sort (a rope, stick, flag, whip). You will use your 'weapon' to deflect the horse's charge by waving or striking right at his head, in order to turn him away from you.

Horse speed

An average trail horse in decent shape can withstand a journey of 50 miles (80.5 km) in one day, while a fit endurance competitor will be able to travel even 100 miles (161 km) in a day. On the other hand, most of them can't endure a few consecutive days of riding without a day or two of rest.

Years ago, as well as today, riders needed to take into consideration how many days the trip would take. On average, a healthy horse can travel anywhere from 25 to 35 miles a day.

How many miles per hour can you travel by horse? ›

A horse can go up to four miles per hour when it walks and typically travels somewhere between eight and 12 miles per hour at a trot. At a canter, a fit horse can speed up anywhere between 12 and 15 miles per hour. At a gallop, they can travel between 25 and 30 miles per hour on average.

Transport cost is calculated as a function of throughput, modal usage, transport distance and the unit cost of transport per ton throughput. The total overall transport cost is the sum for all commodities of the total transport cost per commodity.

One good method is to calculate by percentage. You can take the total amount of your transportation-level costs and divide them by your sales revenue. This gives you a look at how much you're spending on transportation by percentage.

Tying your horse up – Don't tie your horse too tight. Ideally they should be able to get their head below their chest, as this will allow mucous to drain. Otherwise this can descend towards the lungs leading to travel sickness.

If the journey is scheduled to take six hours or longer, it is recommended to provide hay in the trailer. It is never recommended to provide the grain portion of the diet in the trailer. For trips less than six hours, it is generally recommended not to feed your horses in the trailer.

Seatbelts and Good Knots, Two Keys to Safe Horse Hauling. Whether you're trailering for a short distance or long haul (pun intended), it's important to keep safety top-of-mind. Tying your horse safely in the trailer is one critical component to keeping them safe on your journey.

Young horses should not be ridden hard until they have physically matured enough to safely carry weight. For most breeds, this will occur when the horse is approximately 2 years old.

Once on the trailer, horses should be given the opportunity to drink every four hours. Ideally, horses should be unloaded and given the opportunity to consume hay and drink water. Removing the horses from the trailer will help dissipate heat and allow them to relax, facilitating consumption of both hay and water.

Most horses with good stamina can cover up to 20 to 40 miles (32 – 64.5 km) in a day while trotting. However, even the best ones need sufficient breaks between two running phases. A horse can walk for eight hours without a break and cover 30 to 32 miles (48 – 51.5 km) in a day.

How painful is a horse fly? ›

Do horsefly bites sting? In most cases, a bite will result in a raised, red area of skin, which might be painful and sensitive to touch. In extreme cases, bites can cause an allergic reaction that can result in dizziness, swelling and fluid-filled blisters that become infected.

You will also find them being drawn towards dark colors as well as wood smoke. It has been noticed that blue seems very attractive to the horse fly. If you happen to travel to areas that are clogged with water during the summer, avoid wearing clothes that have blue colors.

Flies are just like us – they spend the entire day buzzing around with their friends and get pretty tired at bedtime. Before sunset, a sleepy fly will try and find a safe place to rest. Some favourite places are on the undersides of leaves, twigs, and branches, or even in tall grass or under rocks.

Instead, the animals are loaded into specifically designed air-stables that look just like a horse trailer without wheels. These air-stables are then lifted onto cargo planes. There are usually 20 to 60 horses on a plane. An air-stable can be divided into sections to take up to 3 horses.

The containers that the horses travel in are generally called 'pallets' each pallet can carry a maximum of 3 horses – some pallets have movable partitions and can travel 2 horses, or even 1 horse in bigger spaces (think economy ticket, business and first class) – the pricing obviously works in the same manner – as the ...

Jet lag for horses is generally not an issue; however, the FEI (International Federation of Equestrian Sport) Code of Conduct for equine welfare requires appropriate rest period between travel and competition, depending on length of the trip.

That's why, as a general rule, horses don't like trailers—they make them feel trapped and claustrophobic. Not only do trailers make horses feel trapped and claustrophobic, but they're also a scary object. Horses hate objects.

Ideally, you would want to avoid any sort of extreme heat distress for your horse. That is why Dr. Tracey recommends avoiding high heat and humidity days over 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Deb Bennett, PhD, founder of the Equine Studies Institute and an expert in the biomechanics of horses, has advised that the “Total weight of rider plus tack must not exceed 250 lbs. There is no horse alive, of any breed, any build, anywhere, that can go more than a few minutes with more weight on its back than this.

How many hours a day can a horse be ridden? ›

A typical horse may be comfortable walking for eight hours, meaning he could cover 32 miles in that time. Many weekend-warrior riders can't stand eight hours in the saddle, though. A more fit horse may cover more distance if he is able to trot or canter for part of the time.

We divide riding ability into four levels: beginner, intermediate, strong intermediate and advanced. But what exactly do these mean, and which category do you fit into? Check out the definitions below. BEGINNER – reasonably confident riding a horse at a walk, a rising trot, and learning to canter.

The most basic equine exercise is to connect with an untethered horse in a paddock. An Equest facilitator explained that the proper way to say hello to a horse is by gently extending your closed hand. The horse returns the greeting by touching your hand with its muzzle. Simple enough.

In the wild, horses are most scared of natural predators like lions, wolves, and alligators. Domesticated horses can be scared of any sound they haven't heard before, and it could be as innocent as the sounds of plastic bags, barking, or any suspicious noise in the wind.

Horses Trust You When They're At Ease Around You

Their bottom lip is tight. Their nostrils are tense. Their tail is moving quickly or not at all. Their ears are pinned back on their head, or alert and facing you.

Many experts agree that horses do, in fact, remember their owners. Studies performed over the years suggest that horses do remember their owners similar to the way they would remember another horse. Past experiences, memories, and auditory cues provide the horse with information as to who an individual is.

4- Many horses like to be rubbed on the neck, shoulder, hip, or on the chest. Some horses enjoy having their heads and ears rubbed. Horses often groom each other on the whither, so this would be a good place to try too.

Trailers – if travelling one horse, load them on the right-hand side of the trailer. If travelling two horses, the heavier horse should be on the right. This helps with balance on corners. Position the horse facing straight at the ramp and walk them up the ramp.

All learners undertaking a qualification with a driving competence element must hold the appropriate driving licence. Transporters must carry their authorisation certificate, or a copy of it, whenever transporting animals. Animal health and welfare inspectors or trading standards officers may ask to see authorisations.

You must complete this form if you both: own or manage premises in England or Scotland. export or move equines from these premises (or someone else exports or moves equines from the premises)

What licence do I need to drive a horse lorry? ›

In order to legally drive a 3.5-tonne horsebox on public roads, you need a Category C1 licence. This licence specifically qualifies you to drive vehicles between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes WITHOUT trailers in tow.

When would I need to produce my horse's passport? Horses must be accompanied by their passport at all times. The exceptions are when the horse is stabled, out at pasture or if the horse is moved on foot. However, the passport must be made available within three hours of it being requested by an enforcement agency.

Can I really get paid to transport pets? Yes. Pet transporters typically charge anywhere from $0.50 to $0.75 per mile, or a flat rate fee per animal. You can set your own fee however please keep mind that most rescues are not for profit and rely on donations to fund their operations.

At the final place of destination animals must be unloaded, watered and rested for at least 48 hours or slaughtered. Lactating cows, sheep and goats transported without offspring must not be transported for more than 12 hours without being milked.

There is no cost involved, other than the time you spend on the phone, but you must do this within 30 days of livestock moving onto the land. If you keep one or more of the following you will need a CPH number: cattle, deer, sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry if you plan to have 50 birds or more.

It will be issued as a duplicate or replacement passport and the animal cannot be used as food for humans. There's no expiry on horse passports - they last an animal's lifetime.

There are both permanent and temporary CPH numbers, depending on the use of the land. If the use is for seasonal grazing only, for example, then the number issued is a temporary one – where the use of the land for livestock purposes is continual, the number issued will be permanent.

Regulations require the advanced licence for 7.5-tonne horseboxes due to the additional weight involved. Remember, driving a vehicle that heavy introduces additional concerns not experienced when driving a car. Basic things such as braking and cornering are all affected as size and weight increases.

Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) is the weight of the vehicle including its maximum legal load it is rated to carry. A vehicle with a GVM under 6000kg can be driven on a car licence. GVM minus the tare weight tells you the maximum load the truck is allowed to carry.

How far can a horse travel in a trailer? ›

Horses are fine for up to 9 hours in a trailer as long as they have food and water, and unloading during the trip just adds to your end time considerably. Rather, get to where you are going and let them –and you- have a long rest.

Maximum transportation of 24-hours with a stop at least every 8 hours for feeding and water if required; Horses over the age of 8 months must wear a halter during transportation.

Some horses are more susceptible to the health problems that rain can cause, while others might be comfortable in it and prefer staying out as opposed to being placed in a stall. In severe weather conditions when hail and flying debris are present, horses should be provided with adequate shelter.

These include a purchase receipt, your historic bills from vets or farriers and old insurance documents. In an ideal world, when you buy a horse, both parties should sign a contract.